Study to ensure Metro doesn’t mar heritage structures

“This is the first time that such a major project is going to be taking place in the vicinity of these structures. While we want to make progress on the Metro corridor,we also want to be sensitive to the heritage of Mumbai,” said SVR Srinivas,additional metropolitan commissioner at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). “We will put the findings to use for the Metro project by undertaking the tunneling work only after taking into consideration the structure and dimensions of these buildings so that they are not affected. The study will also be useful for any future projects in the area,” he said.

The impact on the heritage structures would be limited as the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz corridor will be a fully underground construction and the MMRDA has said it will ensure that a distance of 100 metres is maintained at all times from these buildings.

The study will begin shortly and would be undertaken by conservation architects. The architects will look into several aspects related to construction around heritage structures,but the focus will be on the structure of the buildings and the mandates for civil construction around them. The study will also check if any construction is likely to block these structures from public view.

“We want to make sure that the foundation of the two stations in the area do not block the heritage structures from public view,” Srinivas said.

The study will take about three months to be completed,after which the MMRDA will discuss the findings with the Maharashtra Heritage Conservation Committee. The development body will adopt any measures that the committee suggests to further mitigate the impact of construction on these structures,Srinivas added.

The MMRDA is also considering inclusion of archaeological sites such as Dharavi fort,Mahim fort and Worli fort in the study. These archaeological sites fall alongside the Metro alignment,but are not very closely located. The construction of the fully-underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz corridor,which will be built at a cost of Rs 21,000 crore,is expected to start next year.